Sarnia woman, 76, tied up in kitchen during home invasion

A rare home invasion in the City of Sarnia Saturday left a 76-year-old woman shaken but physically uninjured, Sarnia police say.

“This is such a rarity. It’s not something that happens normally,” said Sarnia Police Const. Giovanni Sottosanti.

An unidentified man – described as white, not older than 40, and wearing a cap or toque with no facial hair, glasses or piercings – pried open the side door at the woman’s Mayfair Drive residence Feb. 10, Sottosanti said.

The woman had been watching television in her living room and went to investigate the loud noise, coming face-to-face with the suspect, who tied her to a chair in the kitchen, he said.

She escaped her bonds and called police around 11:40 p.m. from a neighbour’s house, while the suspect was still in her home looking for things to steal, he said.

The suspect was gone before police arrived, police said, in a news release.

Her vehicle was taken, and eventually found several neighbourhoods west, Sottosanti said.

“It sounds like he used that as a quick way to get out of there and get away from everybody,” he said.

It’s unclear what else was taken, he said.

Police are looking for clues from the vehicle like DNA or fingerprints, he said.

“If he left anything behind, I don’t know, but that’s what they’re hoping to gather.”

Home invasions are rare in the city, he said, typically involving parties who know each other acting on outstanding debts.

It doesn’t appear the victim and suspect in this case knew each other, he said.

“A lot of times when we do have incidents where people break into a house and they’re confronted by somebody, 99 per cent of the time the person runs,” he said.

Effective door locks and light sensors outside doors are security measures that can deter intruders, he said, noting the woman did the right thing by not confronting the person after she escaped from being tied up.

“We always characterize Sarnia as a safe place and it is a safe place, but things do happen,” he said.

It’s OK to call 911 if you feel unsafe, he said.

“If you just want us to check it out, we have no problem doing that.”

Police are hoping to obtain video from the area to help in the investigation, he said.

Anyone with information is asked to call Sgt. Leo Murphy at 519-344-8861 ext. 6142, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-2228477.